1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a racket, blade and rubber for table tennis.
2. Background Art
A table tennis racket includes a blade with a grip portion, and a rubber sheet (hereafter simply called a rubber as well) fixed on a rubber-receiving surface (one of major surfaces) of the blade. Rubbers are consumable supplies for athletic table-tennis players, and they are replaced and renewed in short cycles. A typical means for holding rubbers onto blades is temporary bonding by an adhesive. The most prevalent adhesives for temporary bonding contain volatile organic solvents. However, as Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication, JP-H07-24360-U, mentions as well, it has been pointed out that volatile organic adhesives generate gases and pollute the environmental air every time when used rubbers are replaced with new ones. Therefore, International Table Tennis Federation decided to prohibit the use of adhesives containing organic solvents.
The industrial field of table tennis articles undertook research and development of an adhesive containing no such organic solvents and usable for temporary bonding, and actually developed an adhesive using water instead of organic solvents, for example. However, the water-based adhesive needs much time of about one hour until it dries. In addition, almost all blades of table tennis rackets used by table tennis athletes are made of wood and readily absorb the water contained in the adhesive. As a matter of course, too much moisture in blades changes their properties. Actually, it is often reported that blades degrade in property with moisture every time upon renewal of rubbers.
Double-faced adhesive films and solid adhesives are commercially available for use to hold rubbers on blades. As pointed out in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication, JP-H07-67994, rubbers once fixed to blades with double-faced adhesive films are difficult to remove from the blades, and need time and labor for renewal of rubbers. Therefore, double-faced adhesive films have not come into wide use till now. Also, solid adhesives failed to become widespread because of the problem that they often leave their residue on blades after removal of rubbers.
Table tennis players cannot often acquire ideal blades that fit to their own playing styles including their own swinging and gripping forms throughout their careers as active players. Therefore, it will not be acceptable for such players that replacement of rubbers invites damage and undesirable changes in property of their favorite blades.
In addition, it often occurs that a rubber must be renewed immediately at the site of a competition. Therefore, it is important that players can change rubbers easily and quickly.
Thus, there is a need for a table tennis racket, its blade and rubber that can prevent air pollution by gas, which is a serious problem of great concern to the modern society, and can facilitate renewal of the rubber.
Further, there is a need for a table tennis racket, its blade and rubber that prevent damage to the blade upon replacement of the rubber.
Furthermore, there is a need for a table tennis racket, its blade and rubber that enable quick removal of the rubber without leaving any residue on the blade after removal of the rubber.